Variable speed friction drive



June 13, 1967 E. w. MEGAW 3,324,734

VARIABLE SPEED FRICTION DRIVE Filed June '7, 1965 22 I I8 as" I9 26 32 44 1 l4- 2 I l7 a 25 II I I N VENTOR.

[DIV/MD w. MEGAN BY United States Patent 3,324,734 VARIABLE SPEEDFRICTION DRIVE Edward W. Megaw, Detroit, Mich., assignor of one-sixth toVictor E. Jarvis and one-sixth to Louis J. Geiermann Filed June 7, 1965,Ser. No. 461,897 Claims. (Cl. 74-194) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A baserotatably mounting a rotor, said rotor further having a circular socket,formed with a sidewall arcuately inclined toward said axis, a bracketpivotally mounted upon a sidewall of said base, and rotatably mounting awheel; said wheel having frictional engagement with said inclinedsidewall, whereby a driving force may be applied to either said rotor orsaid wheel, to afford transmission of a drive from either of saidelements to the other of said elements, and whereby the pivotal mountingof said bracket affords an adjustment of the frictional engagement uponsaid arcuate surface to and from said axis to afford a determination ofthe speed of the drive to be transmitted.

This invention relates to mechanisms for reversibly transmitting arotary drive from one rotatably journaled member to another andparticularly to such mechanisms as are designed to afford adjustment tovary the speed of the drive so transmitted.

An object of the invention is to provide a rotor journalled in a base,said rotor having a surface inclined to its axis of rotation in thebase, and to provide a shaft journalled in a bracket with a wheel havinga perpheral area of said wheel in driving or drivable engagement withsaid inclined surface, so that by such engagement, either rotatablemember may impart to, or receive from, the other a rotatable drivingforce.

A further object is to provide means to advance said wheel along saidinclined surface toward said axis or retract said wheel from said axisto respectively accelerate or decelerate the transmitted drive.

Still another object is to incline said surface arcuately, and toprovide a pivot to mount the bracket, so that arcuate travel of saidbracket about the pivotal axis of the pivot causes the advance orretraction of said wheel.

Still another object is to adapt said base to receive said pivot andthus pivota-lly mount the bracket.

These and various other objects are attained in the constructionhereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational, sectional View on line 11 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a plan view in partial section of the device on line 22 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial view in partial section illustrating theconstruction of said shaft wheel, and bracket.

FIG. 5 is a line on 55 of FIG. 4, further illustrating saidconstruction.

In these views the reference character 1 designates the base which maybe formed with a shank 2. Any conventional means may be employed tomount the base, depending upon the environment in which the device isused. However, its anticipated uses are so numerous that only one simplemounting means is shown, employing screws 3 to mount the device to aplate or wall 4.

The base is socketed as at 5, said socket having an annular sidewall 6,and bottom wall 7. A hole 8 is formed in said bottom wall. A rotor 9 isreceived in said socket 5, and has a shank 10 rotatably journal led inthe hole 8.

A square shaft 11 serves to interconnect the shank of the rotor with anyproperly adapted device for transmission of a rotary drive from or tothe rotor. Said square shaft may be of course, splined, slotted, orotherwise adapted for drive transfission. The rotor is interiorly formedwith a recess 12 having an annular sidewall 13 arcuately inclined fromthe axis of rotation of the rotor.

The base 1 is formed with diametrically opposed flats 14 on its annularsidewall. Said flats are apertured as at 15 to receive a shouldered hexheaded screw 16. The inner end portion of said screw threadedly engagesin a mounting arm 17 of a bracket 18. Said bracket is formed with abearing 19 apertured to rotatably journal the shaft 20 of a circularmember, such as a wheel 21. Said wheel preferably carries at itsperiphery an annular rubber tire which naturally, has a circular surface22, and a peripheral area of said tire engages the arcuately inclinedsidewall 13 in the rotor 9 to transmit or receive a drive, dependingupon whether the rotor 9 or wheel 21 is being driven.

A sheath 23 is formed with an annular lip 24 whereby it is assembled tothe bracket 18 by a nut 25 threadedly received on the bearing 19. Atransmission element 26 is rotatably drivable in the sheath. The sheath25 and transmission element 26, may both be flexible if desired. Theshaft 20, carrying the wheel 21 may be adapted in any suitable mannerfor driving interconnection with said transmission element 26 as at 27.

As may now be seen, the bracket 18 may be adjustably, moved in arcuatetravel about the axis of the pivot screw 16 by turning said screw toafford such adjustment, to advance the wheel along the arcuatelyinclined sidewall 13 toward the axis of rotor rotation, which willaccelerate the transmitted drive. Said bracket may, conversely, bearcuately moved to retract the wheel along said sidewall 13 from saidaxis of rotation to decelerate the transmitted drive. When the screw 16is turned to draw the bracket mounting arm 17 into tight frictionalengagement with the fiat surface 14, such engagement resists undesirablemove ment of the bracket about the pivotal axis of the screw 16.

It is important that the pivotal axis of the screw 15 approximatelyintersect the plane of the drive wheel 21, and that the locus of theradius of the arcuately inclined sidewall 13 be situated at saidintersection in order to maintain approximately uniform frictionalengagement of the wheel 20 on the interior surface of said sidewallregardless of where on said surface said engagement occurs. If saidlocus were not so situated, arcuate travel of the wheel 21 coulddisengage the wheel from said surface.

Clearly, if a drive is applied to the rotor, it will rotatably drive thewheel 21, and if a drive is applied to the wheel, it will rotatablydrive the rotor. Regardless of which element is driving which, thedirection of such drive may be reversed by mounting the bracket 18 onthe opposite side of the base 1 from that shown in the drawing.

What I claim is:

1. In mechanism to reversably transmit a rotary drive,

(a) a rotor rotatably drivable about a first axis of rotation said rotorbeing formed with (b) an annular surface arcuately inclined with respectto said axis,

(0) a shaft rotatably drivable about a second axis of rotation, saidshaft having concentrically disposed thereon,

(d) a member having a circular surface, said shaft being juxtaposed tosaid rotor to frictionally engage an area of said circular surface withsaid inclined annular surface to thereby transmit or receive a rotatabledrive,

(e) adjusting means adapted to afford advance and retraction of saidcircular surface along the arcuately inclined annular surface toward orfrom said first axis to respectively accelerate or decelerate thevelocity of said drive,

(f) a base adapted to journal said rotor,

(g) a bracket adapted to journal said shaft,

(h) whereby a rotative drive applied to either said rotor or said shafttransmits said drive to the other said member through said frictionalengagement,

(i) a socket formed in said base,

said rotor being rotatable within said socket,

said socket having an annular sidewall and a bottom wall, said bottomwall being apertured,

and said rotor having a shank rotatably received in said aperture toreceive or transmit a drive to said bottom wall.

2. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said adjusting means being apivot element interconnecting said base and said bracket whereby saidbracket and said circular surface may have desired arcuate travel aboutthe pivot axis of said pivot to effect said advancement toward orretraction from said first aXis of rotation and (j) means to resistundesired arcuate travel of said bracket.

3. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said annular sidewall havinga flat surface, said pivot element extending through said sidewall atsaid flat surface, said bracket being pivotally carried by said pivotelement and journalling said circular member in position to effect saidfrictional engagement of said circular surface and said inclinedsurface.

4. In a mechanism to reversably transmit a rotary drive,

(a) a rotor rotatably drivable about a first axis of rotation, saidrotor being formed with (a) said annular surface inclined with respectto said axis,

(b) said annular surface inclined with respect to said rotation, saidshaft having concentrically disposed thereon,

(d) a member having a circular surface, said shaft being juxtaposed tosaid rotor to frictionally engage an area of said circular surface withsaid inclined annular surface to thereby transmit or receive a rotatabledrive,

(e) adjusting means adapted to aiford advance or retraction of saidcircular surface along the inclined annular surface toward or from saidfirst axis to respectively accelerate or decelerate velocity of saiddrive,

(f) a base adapted to journal said rotor,

(g) a bracket adapted to journal said shaft,

(h) whereby a rotative' drive applied to either said rotor or said shafttransmits said drive to the other said member through said frictionalengagement.

(i) a socket formed in said base,

said rotor being rotatable within said socket,

said socket having an annular sidewall and a bottom wall, said bottomwall being apertured,

and said rotor having a shank rotatably received in said aperture toreceive or transmit a drive to said bottom wall.

5. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 4, said pivot element extendingthrough said sidewall at said flat surface, said bracket being pivotallycarried by said pivot element and journalling said circular member in aposition to effect said frictional engagement of said circular surfaceand said inclined surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT M. WALKER, PrimaryExaminer.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

L. H. GERIN, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN MECHANISM TO REVERSABLY TRANSMIT A ROTARY DRIVE, (A) A ROTORROTATABLY DRIVABLE ABOUT A FIRST AXIS OF ROTATION SAID ROTOR BEINGFORMED WITH (B) AN ANNULAR SURFACE ARCUATELY INCLINED WITH RESPECT TOSAID AXIS, (C) A SHAFT ROTATABLY DRIVABLE ABOUT A SECOND AXIS OFROTATION, SAID SHAFT HAVING CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED THEREON, (D) AMEMBER HAVING A CIRCULAR SURFACE, SAID SHAFT BEING JUXTAPOSED TO SAIDROTOR TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE AN AREA OF SAID CIRCULAR SURFACE WITH SAIDINCLINED ANNULAR SURFACE TO THEREBY TRANSMIT OR RECEIVE A ROTATABLEDRIVE, (E) ADJUSTING MEANS ADAPTED TO AFFORD ADVANCE AND RETRACTION OFSAID CIRCULAR SURFACE ALONG THE ARCUATELY INCLINED ANNULAR SURFACETOWARD OR FROM SAID FIRST AXIS TO RESPECTIVELY ACCELERATE OR DECELERATETHE VELOCITY OF SAID DRIVE, (F) A BASE ADAPTED TO JOURNAL SAID ROTOR,(G) A BRACKET ADAPTED TO JOURNAL SAID SHAFT, (H) WHEREBY A ROTATIVEDRIVE APPLIED TO EITHER SAID ROTOR OR SAID SHAFT TRANSMITS SAID DRIVE TOTHE OTHER SAID MEMBER THROUGH SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, (I) A SOCKETFORMED IN SAID BASE, SAID ROTOR BEING ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID SOCKET, SAIDSOCKET HAVING AN ANNULAR SIDEWALL AND A BOTTOM WALL, SAID BOTTOM WALLBEING APERTURED, AND SAID ROTOR HAVING A SHANK ROTATABLY RECEIVED INSAID APERTURE TO RECEIVE OR TRANSMIT A DRIVE TO SAID BOTTOM WALL.